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Spain, Madrid
1 Level
724 Review
50 Karma

Review on ๐Ÿ”ง VOTEX - DP001 Stainless Steel Engine Oil Drain Plug (M14 x 1.5 X 18 MM) - Made in USA with Powerful Neodymium Magnet by Raymond Doe

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Are aluminum washers required/included?

I recently read an article on an automotive discussion site about the benefits of oil drain plugs that have a strong magnet as part of their design. And in that discussion, the Votex brand was mentioned as a good thing. I did a little research to find out where to buy a Votex connector and my search turned to Revain. As I was planning to change the oil in both of my cars I verified the correct part number for my cars and placed the order. That was about a month ago. I received the spark plugs shortly after and plan to do an oil change on both cars for the last few days. Here I was a bit surprised. Either Revain's "description" for these plugs has changed or I just didn't see them before ordering, but these plugs do not seal like OE plugs. Both of my cars have plugs with "grooves" in the original equipment, in which rubber seals are inserted. Votex connectors, I just found out, use what is called an "aluminum gasket". This became clear after I received them and opened the package. I have some issues with this. Firstly, this is the missing indication on the packaging of the part. I opened the packaging and didn't quite understand how a fairly solid metal disc could seal the oil in the pan. Second, the spacer looks like a stronger material than aluminum, and it's quite thick, so how will it "push"? My cars both have aluminum engines, including oil pans, so I would be very careful to tighten the plugs with some serious force for fear of stripping the threads in the pan before crushing the gasket enough. Today, after re-reading the description of the part, I see that it is recommended to change the washer (gasket) after each use. And curiously enough, the washing machine package is now also a purchase recommendation. 20 washers for an additional $17. Since the cars I'm talking about are limited use cars and their oil is changed once a year, there's no way I need a 20 year supply. I'm lucky to be alive in 20 years! No thanks, I reused my OE drain plugs and will be returning unused Votex bolts. I WAS impressed with the strength of their magnets and they will probably do a good job of attracting/retaining metal particles in the oil pan, but I have my doubts about the sealing ability of their gaskets.

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